Palace Macabre SYOC
by buttercup890
Summary: For the past few months leading up to his Selection, Prince Philip Schreave has been receiving anonymous threats. He doesn't realize how serious it is until on the first night of the Selection, one of the Selected is murdered. Will he be able to find the murderer before someone else is killed? Or will the whole palace fall? SYOC Open
1. Chapter 1

Philip woke up with a knot in his stomach. It was his birthday, and like all twenty year olds who wanted to celebrate that they weren't a teenager any more, he wanted to spend the day away from his family. But he couldn't.

At ten, his father wanted to play tennis with him and an onlooking small crowd of about fifty people.

At noon, his mother was hosting a birthday brunch.

At three, he had a fitting for a new suit.

At five, he had a seven course dinner with his closest one hundred and fifty friends and extended family.

At eight, he had to be on the Report announcing his impending Selection while wearing his new suit.

And sometime throughout the day, his youngest brother, Daily was going to pull a terrible prank on him. Like out a whoopee cushion under his seat during the Report. Or cut holes in his clothes during the fitting.

He just had a bad feeling about today.

It probably had something to do with that note he received a week prior. He pulled out the black paper with the blotchy white lettering on it from his bedside table. Thankfully, he prohibited the maids to open up any of the drawers in his room, otherwise they would find stashes upon stashes of anonymous, threatening letters.

 _It is almost time_

 _For our game to start._

 _Try not to break your heart._

 **A/N: I know this is an extremely short chapter, and I promise that this will be the shortest chapter by far! I just got excited and really wanted to start this SYOC thing early, and I wanted to introduce at least a little bit of Philip. If you are interested in submitting a character, the form and more information are on my profile page. I have a Pinterest board called "Palace Macabre~SYOC" so once your character is submitted, send a face claim! If not, I'll find one and pin it to the board. xoxo, Buttercup**


	2. Chapter 2

"Philip!"

Philip snapped his eyes to his mother's perturbing voice. She had asked him a question, but he was half asleep and not paying attention. Later, he knew that she would give him a stern talking to for embarrassing her in front of the political advisors or whomever were guests for dinner.

"Yes, mother dearest?" He replied as sweetly, and drenched it with as much sarcastic malice as he could without it sounding too overbearing.

"I asked, do you have any questions about your impending Selection? Your father and I can answer any of them. After all, we did undergo one ourselves." The queen looked lovingly at her husband, but it was all for the guests.

Philip knew she deeply loved his father, but there love was strange, for lack of a better word. His father showed his love for her more than she did. Most of the time, she hardly spared the king a second glance, much less gaze dotingly.

"What happens if the one isn't there? Do I just marry a girl who will eventually grow to resent this and kingdom and me?"

That wasn't his main concern. He wanted to know who was sending those letters, and if they would hurt any of the Selected. Philip couldn't ask his father, because he would laugh it off. He couldn't ask his mother; she would tell him too grow up and be a man. Cleobella would eventually tell the whole kingdom. Daily was too young to even understand rhymes that didn't emd with dog and frog.

That left Elian.

His younger brother was a whole lot smarter than him. Elian wasn't raised to be king, but he was too royal to pursue a job in science or whatever his latest educational passion was. Philip tended to forget because his brother would master one subject and then move onto the next too frequently.

He would pull him aside after the Report and talk to him then.

"Nonsense! Of course she will be there! I found your mother, and my father found my mother, and his father found my grandmother. You worry too much son, you should lighten up!" The king laughed heartily, as if he made a joke that no one else caught onto. Which, knowing the king, he probably did.

"But it's random. It's not as if I get to choose who I could have the potential to fall in love with and go from there." Philip pouted. This was the least of his worries, but nevertheless, he still wanted to fall in love and all that nonsense.

King Phineas sighed. "It's random. But it's not. It's up to fate and destiny. I guarantee that every girl chosen is chosen because of them. After all, there are no coincidences." He reached out and grabbed the queen's hand. "But I am just a silly old man. What do I know?"

This time, everyone joined him in his laughter, except for Philip.

Fate and destiny, huh? He wasn't sure how he felt about that. As Elian would say, there was no circumstantial proof. But Daily would point out that if fate didn't exist, then Cleobella wouldn't have gotten the pie in the face on the Report that one time instead of Elian.

"Oh Philip, must you be such a bore?" Cleobella tightened her grin, and proceeded to cut her steak delicately next to him.

"When it comes to my future, yes." He started to cut his, but not nearly as neatly at all. Steak juice erupted everywhere on his place, and more than once, his knife made that terrible, deafening noise against the plate.

She didn't look at him, but he could feel her scowl directed towards him. "I'm sure the Report will love talk of the Selection."

"Love? They'll dig it up. Cameras will swarm the palace. We'll never be left alone." Philip wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"You and your girls will never be left alone. I, on the other hand, will be forgotten." Cleo pouted as she took a bite of her steak. Slowly, she crossed her fork and knife over her plate and pushed it in front of her.

She must be dieting again, because she only took one bite of her steak, one of her broccoli, none of her potatoes, and all of her wine. Philip rolled his eyes. He hoped the girls in the Selection wouldn't be like his sister.

"You won't be forgotten, Cleo." He gulped down his tongue so he wouldn't insult her anymore than she felt.

"Oh yeah? The camera forgets an old princess where the future queen is involved." She sighed dramatically put a hand on her forehead to express how much of a diva she was.

"I hardly doubt it." She raised an eyebrow. "You'll be the main source of drama."

She swatted at his arm. "Philip! I will not be the one to start any drama! I am a kind person, and kind people do not start drama!"

Cleo stood up abruptly stomped away before he could get in a word of apology. The queen stood up to follow after her, her mouth agape with embarrassment, but the king pulled her back down to her chair. Immediately, the queen diverted her glare to Philip.

"Philip, sweetie, is everything okay with Cleobella?" She asked in her nicest, yet most menacing voice.

He shivered. He knew his mother's wrath would be harsh on just him. She favored Cleobella, so the two would sympathize with each other and talk nonsense about how terrible Philip was. If they weren't careful enough, Daily would join in.

"Yes, of course. She just has an upset stomach." Well, so much for keeping Cleo's dignity.

"I see." The queen nodded and kept staring at him for a few minutes. She finally dismissed him by looking over at the king. "Will everything be ready for the Report tonight?"

The king nodded, twirling the broccoli on his fork. Philip wondered if his parents had gotten into some sort of passive aggressive argument over the course of a few minutes. His father only pouted like that when the queen was mad at him, and the queen's ears turned red when she was angry or cold.

"Yes. Laurent should be making the final adjustments now." The king sighed and put down his broccoli. So he was upset.

Philip knew that the Report tonight had to go perfectly. If there was one fault, then the Selection would be ruined before it started.

 **Greetings, everyone! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter almost as much the Olympics! I'm going to try to post every Sunday, but forgive me if I post a little late. Also, I'll make the next chapter a bit longer, and hopefully it will include one of the girls. The SYOC is still open, so please send in your girls! Thanks! xoxo Buttercup**


	3. Chapter 3

Philip never knew how he felt about Laurent, the host of the Report. He was a handsome man that never seemed to age. He was charming and women loved him. He was intelligent and knew how to carry a joke in the direst situations. Essentially, he was the perfect man.

But something was off about him. Philip could not quite put his finger on it, no matter how hard he tried, and he tried very hard and very often.

Now shaking his hand live on the Report, Philip chilled. He wanted to scream out that this man was suspicious, of what, he did not know. He wanted the whole nation to know. Yet, if he said anything, his mother would surely kill him and brainwash Illea so no one remembered her son's idiocy.

"Prince Philip, I have to ask, how are you?" His deep voice hushed the audience. Philip swore he heard a woman gasp adoringly.

"I am well, Laurent. Though I am a little nervous, I must admit. I have some news to share with you, and our lovely nation." He wasn't a little nervous. He felt like his whole gut would fall into millions of pieces on the floor.

"What could you possibly be worried about, Highness?" Laurent knew, of course, what this dreadful news was. However, his job entailed that he made this news a big fuss. "Could it be about a girl?"

"No, actually." The audience sighed. "It's about thirty-five beautiful girls."

Then they hooted and hollered, but courteously and with a prestigious decorum because they did not want to upset the queen. He smiled and bowed to the audience, just like his mother demanded that he do so. Philip wanted to glance over his shoulder to see her reaction, but he already knew what it looked like. Prideful and dignified. For once, her son did not mess up.

Once the audience ceased their clapping, he cleared his throat. "Tomorrow, every girl between the ages of sixteen and twenty will receive a letter inviting them to take part of the Selection." Philip moved to sit down. "And in two weeks time, I will announce the-"

A loud noise filled the room. It sounded as if an attack alarm had just been set off. Or, maybe someone shot a gun. Guards throughout the auditorium pulled out their guns in defense and started surrounding the royal family.

Philip winced and leapt out of his seat, ready to run or fight. He wasn't sure which. The audience followed his lead, and chaos overwhelmed the room. A woman screamed, and the lights went out.

This was it. This was the end.

Rochelle snorted and immediately covered her mouth with her hand. She glanced at her father, Armando, to see if he noticed her outburst. Thankfully, he was asleep and drooling into his plaid shirt that he hadn't changed in over a week. The Report always seemed to bore him, so if she decided to tell him about it later, then he would get angry that he missed the one exciting thing that has happened on it, and then he would blame her for his lack of entertainment.

She decided that she would not tell him.

When Prince Philip sat down in the rather comfy and silky-looking couch on tonight's Report, an air horn sounded. The audience started to panic and the lights shut off. She almost started panicking too when their cries loudened, but the lights flickered back on.

Balloons covered the stage and the audience.

Prince Philip looked like he had just been tramped by a pig. His hair was ruffled and his mouth hung down to his knees. In an instant, he reverted his face to an ultra level of coolness. Emotionless. Rochelle figured that he had to hide his panic because he didn't want to upset his future nation.

In the corner of the screen, she saw a little blur flash and disappear. Probably the prankster himself. She laughed at the thought that the prince's seven-year-old brother could have pulled off such a dramatic and hilarious trick.

Though, she did feel a twinge of annoyance and pity for Prince Philip. He would be the one to deal with this unusual circumstance. But nevertheless, she smiled.

Tomorrow, she would be eligible to sign up for the Selection. Despite her optimistic smile and general outlook on life, she did not expect to be Selected. After all, she was a pig farmer. Pig farmers did not make it into the Selection. And even if she did, a pig farmer certainly never would be a queen.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Laurent on their little television set barked. "Please calm down and take your seats! This was merely a practical joke!"

Prince Philip did not sit down, however. He anxiously stood next to the couch, and he almost lent into it. Rochelle could see that there was a tiny sliver of space between him and it.

"I would like to apologize on behalf of my brother, Prince Daily. He is young and immature, and he loves to laugh. I find this event to be quite humorous myself." Rochelle believed his light words, even though she felt a little sense of alarm them. The event probably still rattled the prince; that had to be it.

"Poor Philip," she muttered, just quiet enough so she wouldn't wake her father.

"You haven't met the guy, but you say his name like you are in love with him." Her brother's voice snapped her attention away from the television set.

She smiled simply and shook her head. "No, I am not! I just feel sorry for him, that is all!" She whispered and stood up from her old and dusty couch to go into the kitchen. "When did you get home, Victor?"

Victor followed her into the kitchen, stretching his stout limbs. He was slightly shorter than their father, and was the spitting image of him, but Rochelle preferred him so much more than their father. He was kinder, despite him bullying her when they were kids.

"Just in time to see the little prince's prank on the Report. I would have been home earlier, but the Two's insisted that I cleaned their pool extra thoroughly after their children's birthday party." He shook his head and sighed.

"On the bright side, you have a sister that will be in the Selection!" She exclaimed. Rochelle wanted to be in the Selection. It would help her family, and she wanted to fall in love.

"Who says that I will let you even enter? And besides, if you make it in, I don't think I want you liking that guy. I don't know if he has a heart." Victor pulled her into a hug and ruffled her hair. She loved him, but her brother could be a bit too overprotective of her.

"I think he does." She smiled and pulled away from him.

Even though the tabloids constantly dissed Prince Philip, she couldn't help but see good in him.

There was good in everyone.

Sophie Winters tightened her pony tail, yet again. She was too distracted today. She couldn't focus on her pirouettes and her élévations. Her form was sloppy, her turn-out was 80 degrees, and she pushed her weight into her heels.

She wasn't usually like this. Usually, she was graceful and elegant when she danced.

Last night, the royal family announced the upcoming Selection of Prince Philip. She knew that it was only a matter of time, but she did not expect it so soon. It threw her off balance, and not just the news. The young prince's practical joke definitely threw off balance the entire country.

She just needed to survive the last ten minutes of practice at the Angeles Dance Academy and then she could go apply to be apart of the Selection.

It was her chance to elevate her status. If she did make it into the Selection, then she would become more famous, so more people would want to see her dance, and she would become one of the most prestigious dancers of her time. To become the best ballerina in the world, that was her goal, and this was her golden opportunity.

Plus, Prince Philip was absolutely gorgeous and Sophie had the teensiest celebrity crush on him.

Sophie had to admit, it was a rather large celebrity crush. Though, she didn't think that she would win, or even fall in love with him once they met. But before any of that could happen, she had to be chosen, and the odds of that were slim. Yet, she believed that she woeuld.

"Sophie! Your posture during the grand battement en cloche was disgraceful; you should know better!" Her ballet instructor screamed at her.

Ashamed, Sophie nodded, but then lifted her chin. She messed it up once, she would not mess it, or anything else again. She could not afford to visibly slip up again. One of these girls could take the prima ballerina spot from her. She would not allow it.

She ended the dance with a plié, with her arms outstretched, reaching out to no avail. And her ballet teacher loved it. Of course. Sophie loved dancing more than anything else in the entire world, and she was good at it. Not just good with the mechanics, but with the emotion of it. She poured her entire soul into ballet.

"Much better." The older woman nodded approvingly, and walked in circles around a new girl, who probably wouldn't last the week.

Sophie pulled herself up to normal human posture, and scanned the faces of the other girls. She frowned. Her best friend, Gracie, was absent. She shook her head, and finally pulled her hair out of her pony tail before she could tighten it again. Her golden blonde hair fell just a little past her shoulders in wavy ringlets, and all was right with the world again.

"Remember, girls, tomorrow is a barre day so get some rest tonight. I do not want to hear any of you complain that you were not ready." The instructor pressed her thin lips together. "Sophie, make sure Gracie shows up tomorrow. I would hate for her to lose her spot at the barre."

"Yes ma'am." Sophie swallowed any bitter remark that she usually would have thrown out. If she were to reply sarcastically at the threat against her best friend, then she could also risk her place at the barre and as prima ballerina. Gracie would understand why Sophia did not stand up for her this time.

With that, she gathered her belongings and left. She did not want to socialize with the other girls. If one of them considered saying something to her before she left, then she would have a fit. Not really, but she really, really wanted to enter the Selection.

"Soph! What are you in a rush for?" One of the girls, Nina, called out to her. She sighed and turned around. She was so close to the door.

"What are you, my mother? I do not need to explain myself to you." She snapped. Nina gaped at her and proceeded to finish out her stretch on the floor.

"So sassy today, Soapy! Surely you won't be rude to your best friend!" Her best friend, Gracie, stood in front of the door with her hand on her hip. A big smile lit her face. "Oh Gracie! Where have you been?" She rushed to hug her best friend, because she was the only one who understood her frustration. She needed to expressed her excitement to someone, and Gracie had impeccable timing.

"Well, that is a long story."

 **Hello! I would like to thank you for getting this far! I'm sorry for such a slow update; I am still trying to get used to being back in prison-I mean school-again. But hey! The first two girls have been introduced *squeals*. Big shout out to ChillyIce for creaating Rochelle and AAlexiarosenhaan for creating Sophie! I am still in desperate need for girls, so do not be afraid to send them in! I know my form is long, but I need to know as much as possible so I can write girls. I hope you all have a wonderful day! xoxo Buttercup**


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